Friday, August 18, 2017

This Rigatoni al Segreto recipe was the most closely guarded
secret at Gino’s, one of New York City’s most famous Italian restaurants. It
was as legendary, as their signature zebra-print wallpaper, and it won awards as
the best red sauce in town.

While there were rumors that the secret ingredient
was butter, no one really knew for sure. Once the restaurant closed in 2010, the recipe got out, and
indeed, the butter legend was confirmed. Having never been there, I was excited
to try it, but there was a big problem. Actually, a small problem. The recipe
called for just a half-tablespoon of butter. Regulars knew this couldn’t be
right, and so the recipe remained a mystery. Was it a typo? Was the old chef
just trolling people?

We may never have known; had it not been for a documentary
called, “The Missing Ingredient.” It’s a great film, but despite the name, it’s
not about the butter. However, there’s a scene near the end, where the old chef
makes this pasta for the filmmaker, and it shows how much butter goes in.

He made a much larger amount than the published version, but
I concluded that it was a typo, and should’ve been half a stick of butter. So,
not only am I recommending that you make this delicious sauce, but I also
really hope you checkout the movie soon (it’s on Netflix). Enjoy!

Ingredients for four small or two large portions:

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced onion

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste2 or 3 cloves crushed garlic

a pinch of red pepper flakes (not in original recipe)

1 can (28 oz) San Marzano tomatoes, blended smooth1/2 cup water to rinse out the can of tomatoes

Small handful of basil leaves, left whole or sliced just
before adding

46 comments:

I will of course use my own tomatoes picked at the peak of perfection and home canned, with just the right amount of core removed. the rest of course will be as close as I chose to come ? or not to all the other secrets.

I'm definitely looking forward to trying this out. You can order that exact can of San Marzanos on Amazon, which I'm going to try out.

DOP by the way means "Denominazione d' Origine Protetta", or asI'm told it translates to, "Protected Designation of Origin". It's a European thing, basically means this is legitimately from the area it claims to be from. A pity this isn't done in the US...

This is also something you want to look for with Parmiggiano, as well.

Mighty chef John, i always wanted to make my sauce have a nice basil taste to it but never managed to pull it off, so i ask you if there is a trick or a way to make the tomato sauce have that beautiful basil aroma. Thanks

This is a very similar profile to Marcella Hazan's famous three ingredient sauce. The same can of San Marzano tomatoes, a stick of butter, and an onion. It's an amazing sauce and I'm sure this one will be as well. I plan to try it later this week.

In my university days a friend had a secret ingredient in her spaghetti sauce. A little marijuana leaf (dried). If it's legal in your area I heartily recommend trying it. It has a bit of a buttery/oregano flavour. A teaspoon of the dried leaves in a pot of sauce (or more if you like) isn't going to get you high, but it does add flavour like any herb.

Secondly, I have a question about cooking the onions. On some other recipes I have noticed they will cook the onions on medium temp, for about 10 mins, rather than med-high for about 5? Is there much difference in the taste/texture there, or is it preference thing or maybe time saving? Please let me know...

Made this yesterday and while I added a few ingredients too early, it came out amazing. I got san marzano tomatoes that were grown in the US but other than that, everything was the same. Amazing pasta dish. I feel it could even do with some mushrooms added as well, which I will for sure try next time I make it.

I made this tonight and it was dynamite! A few less onions than Chef John, and mine reduced a bit more, but the taste is spot on. My Publix had two or three brands of San Marzano tomatoes. Super good - I can't wait to make it again!

We made this last weekend, and it was fantastic. It was super simple to make. We used high quality ingredients all around, including my favorite brand of pasta (Baia). I've made similar sauces before, but none with the butter. The butter is truly the magic in this dish because everything just tasted elevated.

My nephew just sent me this link. We bounce Italian dish recipes off each other. Funny thing is I was able to give him some context because I had eaten in Ginos a few times when I lived in NYC. It was just north of Bloomingdales on the opposite side of Lexington Ave. The bright red wallpaper with the zebra pattern was arresting, to be sure. The atmosphere was definitely upper Eastside, but in an old school, old world kind of way. They had their share of celebrity diners, but again, it was all low key.I can't remember ever being disappointed with the food. All the dishes I had there were excellent. Instead of the rigatoni, I usually had homemade ravioli with that sauce. Are there more Gino recipes out there?

Chef John, thanks for reminding me of Gino's in Manhattan, at Lexington and 61 Street. After I left my first real job, I stayed on good terms with my former boss, she treated me a couple of times to non-business dinners. After I left, I insisted on inviting her out for one last dinner together. She chose Gino's; she was a regular there and well-loved by the wait staff. I can't remember what I ordered, but I think it was some type of pasta with chicken. Not sure if it was Rigatoni al Segreto, but if I didn't have it, certainly it was my loss. Sorry I don't remember. I think that was in either 1987, or 1988, not sure. Thanks for bringing up the fond memories.

This was excellent! It tasted so good I thought I was eating at a fancy Italian restaurant. I couldn't find the San Marzano tomatoes but I did find a brand of Italian plum tomatoes. It was worth the extra price. This is definitely going into my favorites recipe folder. Thanks for the recipe Chef John.

@ Zeke, if you use unsalted butter you can better control the amount of salt added to the sauce - better to have to add salt to taste at the end than to have it too salty to taste.

Wait - No Anchovy Paste? I am thinking that even as great as this sauce was the first time I made it that a little smear of anchovy paste in the oil at the beginning before the onions would add a bit more depth to the tomato flavor.

Hi chef, this recipe was so easy and simply Delicious! When I opened the can, the smell was so fragrant and the tomatoes (which I smashed with a fork) were in a thick sauce. Thanx for another great recipe!!

This sauce is lit. Best damn sauce, I used aged Americana Grana this time, and it turned out fantastic, although I compensated with using some really damn good Amish butter... So good. Thank you your recipes are the best!

thinking about using this as a base for a sauce with chicken in, cube the thighs and slow sautee them with seasoning for 40-50 minutes or so, then set aside and use this sauce to deglaze, then add the chicken back in while it simmers to spread those flavours and get it nice and tender.

I have a question - If I want to make the sauce ahead of time. Is there a point I should stop and then when I am ready to use the sauce, add remaining ingredients (such as the basil, should I add that if I am going to let the sauce sit a day or freeze it)? Made this once already and thought it was awesome ~ Thanks, Dee

Dee-- Just my personal experience, but I've made the sauce in the past to completion and put it in the fridge for use later in the week. Tasted great when we reheated it. I've also frozen the sauce (again, after I've finished the entire recipe), and again, it tasted wonderful when reheated. Probably no right or wrong. I'm sure it'd be great if you heated frozen sauce up and threw in some fresh parmesan or basil. One other thing I've tried is blending the sauce with the immersion blender after it was done for pickier eaters who didn't love the chunkier texture of the onions. That worked well, and I think I preferred that version in the end. I've made this a few times, and over time, I've found that seasoning it liberally with salt to taste after it's finished cooking can greatly enhance the "wow" factor of the sauce.

I've made this recipe twice now, and both times the person I've served it to said it was the best pasta dish they've ever had. It's incredible such an easy recipe tastes this good.

The extra onions, red pepper flakes, and sliced basil are all excellent modifications.

The first time I tried using pregrated parmesan, the second time I grated a fresh block of parmesan reggiano myself and the fresh block is definitely the way to go. The flavor is much better and it really doesn't take more time than the pre grated.